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Check here CAT exam total marks and number of questions, as a part of your CAT 2025 journey. Also know the marking scheme and sectional weightage so that you know how much preparation is required for which section of the CAT.
CAT total marks and number of questions
CAT 2025 exam will be conducted on November 30, 2025. With just about two weeks to go for it, candidates must now focus on exam based strategy and preparation. CAT is an MCQ based exam, conducted to assess an MBA aspirant’s English communication, quantitative aptitude and reasoning skills. Candidates appearing in CAT 2025 exam, must know what is the composition of the CAT question paper and of how much marks will the exam be. Read this article to know CAT Total Marks and Number of Questions, which will help you in exam preparation and performance. CAT 2025 mock test has been released and now you can check the latest exam pattern.
- CAT Total Marks and Number of Questions
- CAT Marking Scheme 2025
- CAT Section Wise Number of Attempts
- CAT Total Marks and Number of Questions Over the Years
CAT Total Marks and Number of Questions
There is no change in the test pattern from previous year. Given below is the table indicating CAT total marks and number of questions for 2025 examination.
| CAT Sections |
CAT Total Question |
Marks Per Question |
Total Marks of CAT |
|---|---|---|---|
| VARC |
24 |
3 |
72 |
| DILR |
22 |
3 |
66 |
| Quantitative Aptitude |
22 |
3 |
66 |
| CAT Total Marks |
68 |
- |
205 |
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Commonly asked questions
CAT question papers are released within a week of the exam in the form of a PDF as a response sheet and answer key. Candidates who have appeared for the test are able to access the CAT question paper and answer key. The question paper of every slot is released on the same day along with candidate response sheet and official answer to all question. If any candidate needs previous year CAT question papers for preparation purpose, then they can download them from Shiksha website. We have hosted last five years' CAT question papers for aspirants to download and practice. These official CAT question papers are available for download free. You can download the CAT question paper PDFs at this link: https://www.shiksha.com/mba/cat-exam-question-papers Candidates must check and practice the latest CAT question paper to know the latest exam pattern and difficulty level.
No, it is not mandatory to attempt all the questions in CAT. Candidates can choose to attempt questions as per their preparation. It is not possible also to attempt all the questions due to time limitation and difficulty level. Reading dense RC passages often take up a lot of time. In DILR and QA too, some questions are time taking and calculation intensive due to which not much time is left in hand to attempt all questions. The aim of every test taker should be to attempt about 2/3rd of the total questions in all the sections of CAT.
CAT Marking Scheme 2025
CAT has simple marking scheme. Below mentioned are the key points to understand the CAT marking scheme:
- CAT exam total marks is 204
- Every question will carry 3 marks
- There will be negative marking of -1 for incorrect attempts
- There will be no negative marking for non-MCQ questions
- Negative marking does not apply to non-MCQs and unanswered questions
CAT Section Wise Number of Attempts
CAT 2025 will have 68 questions but it will not be mandatory to attempt all the questions. Candidates must however, make sure to attempt a good number of questions per section to get a good CAT score and percentile. Given below is the estimated number of good attempts for CAT 2025:
| CAT Section |
Number of Questions in CAT |
Number of Good Attempts |
|---|---|---|
| VARC |
24 |
18 |
| DILR |
22 |
15 |
| Quantitative Aptitude |
22 |
16 |
| Total |
68 |
47 |
Commonly asked questions
There are no straight forward vocabulary questions in CAT. Out of the total of 24 questions in VARC section, 12-14 questions are Reading Comprehension based and rest of them comprise parajumbles, para completion and odd sentence. CAT is the only MBA entrance exam, which does not have direct vocabulary and grammar questions. However, one needs to have strong vocabulary and grammar to be able to solve RC, parajumble, para completion and odd sentence questions.
Data Interpretation or DI is a sub part of CAT's second section DILR. This section has 20 -22 questions (until 2023, the totla number of DILR questions was 20, and in 2024 the number of questions was 22). Both Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning questions have equal number of questions. Candidates must make sure that they prepare for both topics well as the weightage is equal and if they are ill prepared for either of the two, their score will get affected.
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CAT Total Marks and Number of Questions Over the Years
Marking scheme of CAT exam has not changed in the last decade, but CAT total marks and number of questions have been revised multiple times. Check below CAT exam total marks and number of questions over the years:
| CAT Year |
Number of Questions |
Total Marks |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 |
68 |
204 |
| 2023 |
66 |
198 |
| 2022 |
66 |
198 |
| 2021 |
66 |
198 |
| 2020 |
76 |
228 |
| 2019 |
100 |
300 |
| 2018 |
100 |
300 |
| 2017 |
100 |
300 |
| 2016 |
100 |
300 |
| 2015 |
100 |
300 |
| 2014 |
100 |
300 |
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Student Forum
Anything you would want to ask experts?Answered Yesterday
Yes, students can get admission in Sandip University, Nashik without CAT. The university also accepts other national/ state CETs. These are MAT/ XAT/ State CETs. Students can also appear for the Sandip University Management Aptitude Test - SUMAT.
P
Contributor-Level 10
Answered Yesterday
CAT preparation takes about 6-9 months, depending on the aspirant's ability and hold over the sections. Those appearing for the first time, need to start early. You are not too late. If you start preparation now, you will be able crack it.
A
Contributor-Level 7
Answered 5 days ago
No, CAT is not a mandatory entrance exam for AMET University Powered by Emversity MBA admission. Candidates who are interested in MBA at AMET University Powered by Emversity are only required to clear any UG level course from a recognised board.
No entrance exams are mandatory for MBA at AMET Univers
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 6 days ago
Pre-CAT at MET Institute of Information Technology, Mumbai is a preparatory course for students preparing for CDAC's CCAT (Computerized Common Admission Test) for PGCP-AC. It is a 160 hour part-time course covering the syllabus of Sec A + B of the CCAT exams.
N
Guide-Level 15
Answered a week ago
Yes, you can join the PGPM+MBA programme at Amity Global Business School (AGBS) Ahmedabad without CAT score. Admission is based on graduation marks and performance in a personal interview. Scores of exams like MAT/XAT or an internal Amity test can be used, and high academic performers may be conside
J
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a week ago
Yes, most of the top-ranking MBA colleges in Delhi NCR do not require the CAT exam, but require other national-level entrances.
You can explore the links below that show which exam is required if not CAT.
- MDI Gurgaon MBA - MAT, ATMA, and XAT are accepted.
- JMI MBA - JMI Entrance Test only.
- JIMS Rohin
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a week ago
MET Center for Insurance Training, Research & Development considers CAT scores for admission to PGPMBA programme. However, it is not compulsory. Aspirants with any other accepted entrance exam scores can also get admission provided they also meet the eligibility.
N
Guide-Level 15
Answered a week ago
Yes, CAT/MAT/XAT/CMAT/GMAT scores are valid for KIITEE MBA. Candidates applying online will be required to submit copies of their mark sheets and other supporting documents.
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a week ago
CAT is a national-level exam that is conducted for MBA admission at PG level in colleges. CAT is a computer-based-test. The test duration is 120 minutes. It consists of 68 questions that are divided in the following 3 sections:
- VARC (Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension)
- DILR (Data Interpretation
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a week ago
To get admission in IIM Kashipur MBA, students have to clear the CAT cutoff. The cutoff for the general category AI quota was 95. For NC-OBC candidates, it is 81 percentile, for SC candidates it is 66 percentile whereas for SC and PwD candidates, it is 40 percentile. Students can check the official
A
Contributor-Level 10
Vipra Shrivastava is MA in English Literature from Delhi University with extensive experience in content writing of over 14 years. She has been handling content for Management, Accounting and Commerce streams for 8
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